Wringer safety device.



J. A. HICKS.

I WRINGER SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1912.

Patented Aug. 27, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Attorne.

J. A. HICKS.

WRINVGER SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 19!].

:53 .22 as I -SHEET 2.

Patented Aug. 27

2 SHEETS tawe".

' dentally drawn between the wringer rolls.

I a. mcxs, or CINCINNATI, OHIO.

wamean sunrr nnvrcn.

emma.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES A. H1oxs, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton My' invention consists in the combination of parts and in the details of construction and arrangement of parts as will hereinafter bemore fully described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a general perspective view of a wringer equipped with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged-detailed front elevation of the reversing connection of the releasing means;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same; and

Fig. .4 is a similar elevation, partly in vertical section, with the parts in their released and reversing positions.

As herein shown, my invention is incorporated in a wringer comprising upright posts 1 at, opposite sides, connected together at their bottoms and suitably supported'by a bracket 2, and connected together at their tops by a strut 3. These posts 1 have transverse slots 4 from the bottom of the strut 3 for a considerable distance downward,.in the bottom of which are fixed lower bearings 5 for the lower wringer roll 6, and in which above the lower bearings 5, are slidably mounted the upper-bearings 7 for the upper wringer roll 8'. The lower roll 6 turns with a bevel gear 9 outside the posts 1 at the right, and causes the upper roll to rotate in the opposite direction by means of meshing gears 10 and 11 on the lower and upper rolls their hollow interlors through the bearing plates 34. The usual clamping screws 37 splined on the vertical shaft 12 to cause oneor the other pinion to turn with said shaft Specification 0! Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 27, 19 18 Application filed March 21 1917. Serial No. 156,412.

accordingly as the member 20 is moved downward or upward.

A lever 21 has a fulcrum 22 in the front of the right hand post some distance above the gear and pinions, with a short arm 23 extending out and having a link 24 pivoted to it and extending down and pivoted to a ring 25 loose in an annular groove in the clutch member 20. The lever 21 extends to the left entirely across the wringer and beyond the left hand post, where it has a handle 26. Thus if this handle 26 is de Y pressed, the upper bevel pinion 17 is made to turn with the shaft 12, and if this shaft 12 is driven by any suitable means, such as an electric motor, not shown, the wringer rolls will be rotated to draw objects between them in one direction, while if the handle 26 is raised, the lower pinion 16 will turn'with .the shaft 12 so that objects will be passed through the wringer in the opposite direction.

The wringer has the usual guide boards 27 and 28 and the reversible drain board 29 below. In fact, all of the details so far described are well known and are described only for the purpose of facilitating the ensuing description of the parts of my invention in their relation to these well known details.

The upper bearings 7 have saddles 30 with upwardly projecting studs 31, fitting down around which are the lower end parts of the strong helical springs 32 which extend up in the slots 4 and receive in their upper end parts downwardly projecting hollow studs 33 on hearing plates 34 which are fixed tothe upper sides of opposite end parts of the yoke 35 which extends across the wringer above the rolls with its ends extending into the slots 4 of the posts 1. These parts are also similar to those of well known wringers, except that here the studs 33 are hollow as above noted and holes 36 extend up from screws 37 would bear thereon, and I pro-.

vide a displaceable bearing bar 39 that extends across the wringer above the yoke 35 and lies across these openings 36 for the lower ends of the screws 37 to bear upon,

3 and thus causes the springs 32 to hold the and down.

wringer roll 8 downward with a yielding pressure, as is well known inthe construetion and operation of this kind of wrlngers. However, directly to the left of the bearings of the screws 37, the bearing bar 39 has slots 40 extendin some distance toward the left and prefera ly having the ends 41 of their slots next to the respective screws sloping down into the slots from the screws. .Thus, if the bearing bar- 39 is pushed to the right, sliding between the screws 37 and the respective bearing plates 34, the slots 40 will come in under the screws, receiving the screws readily along the downwardly sloping ends 41 of the slots, so that the lower ends of the screws are merely received into the openings 36 extending down through the studs 33 of the bearlng plates 34. Thus the screws 37 can no longerhold the yoke 35 and its bearing plates 34 downward against the springs 32, and thus a they will be considerably lengthened and correspondingly weakened so that the upper roll 8 may far more readily yield upwardly.

This bearing bar 39 has, projecting forward, a pair of lugs 42, and a trip-lever 43 has a pivot 44 in the forward side of the strut 3 above the lugs 42, and has a member extending down between the lugs and behind the reversing lever 21. The upper part 45 of the trip-lever 43 above its pivot 44 extends upwardly and to the left over the strut 3, and the parts are so proportioned and relatively positioned that when the bearing bar 39 is in clamping position the part 45 will be some distance up from the strut 3.

The lower end part of the trip-lever 43 behind the reversing lever 21 has a slotted cam 46 mounted on its front side by a pivot 47. This earn, the shape of which may best be seen in the enlarged view in Fig. 2, has substantially straight sides 48 and 49 presented upwardly and downwardly, respectively, to the right, and shorter sides 50 and 51 presented to the left and slightly upwardly and downwardly, respectively, above and below the pivot 47 and joined by curved sides 52 and 53 extending around the pivot 47 and meeting at the left thereof. This cam is thus outwardly roughly in the shape of a triangle with the pivot 47 at the middle of one of its sides and adapted to have its opposite angle or nose 54, formed by the meeting of the sides 48 and 49, swing up To limit this up and down swinging, the trip-lever 43 has stops 55' fixed in its front, respectively immediately above and below the curved sides 52 and 53 for the sides 50 and 51 to engage with. The slot in the cam 46 comprises a short straight part 56 extending from near the nose 54 along a center line through this nose and the pivot triangular with its pointed end toward the nose 54of the cam 46, and so positioned on the reversing lever that the nose of the cam is a short distance away from the pointed end of the lug when the parts are in normal position. Also, fixed in the reversing lever and projecting rearwardly therefrom inside the slot of the cam, is a pin 60.

A detent plate 61 is fixed on the front side of the post 1 at the left, under the reversing lever 21, with a lower depression 62, an upper depression 63, and a middle depression 64, in which the reversing lever may lie accordingly as the wringer is to be driven in one direction or the other; or, with the reversing lever in midposition in the depression 64, 'so that the clutch member 20 engages with neither pinion 16 nor 17, the wringer will not be driven at all. To hold the reversing lever in any one of these depressions, a resilient wire 65 extends along in front of the lever close enough to the detentplate 61 to be flexed outward when the lever is pulled out of any detent, or at other times to yieldably hold the lever in the detent where it is placed, with the required firmness.

With the above described construction, should it happen that the operators fingers are caught between the wringer rolls 6 and 8, the operator may strike forcibly downwardly on the upper part 45 of the trip-lever, which forces the bearing bar 39 to the right and brings the cam 46 under the triangular lug of the reversing lever, if the reversing lever is down; so that by the cooperation of the upper side of the cam 46 with the lower side of the lug 59, or of the lower side of the cam 46 with the upper side of the lug 59, the reversing lever 21 is forced upward or downward, as'the case may be, thus reversing the operation of the wringer. The result is that not only isthe pressure on the operators hand, thus caught reduced to such an extent as not to permanently injure the hand, but, by virtue of such light bearing as the rolls still have on the hand, they force it out from between themselves immediately.

The desirability of this combined reversing and releasing will be fully appreciated when it is recognized that the hand and arm.

increase in thickness from the fingers backward toward the shoulder, so that even where the pressure on the wringer rolls is released and the gears 10 and 11 unmeshed, it may be that the hand or arm has advanced so far between them that in the greater separation they are now permitted to assume, they still bear with considerable trip-lever 43 with the reversing lever 21 dur- 45 A 1 'the slot of the cam'46. This pin 60, having pulling force due to the thicker part of the hand or arm now having. come between them; or, even due to the mere frictional contact of the hand or arm with the lower wringer without relieving the pressure of the rolls would prevent the arm from bein drawn farther in, but such art as ha passed betweenthe rolls woul receive another rollinginbeing passed outward; so

that,- if indeed the hand had not been very seriously crushed before the wringer could be reversed, it now would be very seriously crushedby this additional rolling. Itwill,

therefore, be seen that with my combination of'releasing and reversing means, both op- 'erated by the same trip-lever, which is inv stantly accessible at the top of the wringer downward upon itwith the 0 en hand, there y it happens to be in when the trip-lever from either side thereof, and which is very readily manipulated slmply by striking is a ver desirable degree 0 protection.

As wil best be seen in Fig. 2, the tiltable cam 46is permitted to act merely as a link loosely connecting the lower end part of the ing all normal conditions, so that the reversing lever 21 may be raised and lowered without causing any corresponding movement of the trip lever 43. However, this raising and lowering of the reversing lever 21 always tilts the cam 46 into the right positionto project its nose 54 upon the proper side of the lug '59 to move the reversing lever 21 to the opposite position from the one that 43 is swung over toward the lug 59. I

These circumstances are due to the provi: sion of the pin 60in the reversing lever 21 lying normally in the straight part 56 of thus tilted the cam 46 into the proper position relative to the lug 59, further movement ofthe trip-lever toward the lug 59 causes the cam 46 to travel therewith over the pin 60, and when the straight Part 56 no longer contains said pin 60, the nose of the cam 46 will be sufiiciently advanced along the proper side of the lug 59 to insure the aforesaid movement of the reversing lever upon continued movement of the trip-lever.

During this continued movement, either one or the'otlierof the diverging parts 57 and 58 of the slot receives the pin'60, while the cam 46 itself is tilted back either upwardly or downwardly, as the case may be, against tilting thus prevented, the cam 46 is adapted to transmit the required force from the triplever 43 to the reversing lever 21. It will strength to materially With further of course be understood'that this action takes lace very quicklyas the result of avery. orcible blow downward on the upper part 45 of the trip-lever 43,- as above described. I i

In order to pull the trip-lever 43 back to normal position when the parts are being reset after an accident has occurred, I prefer to provide a long and light helical spring 66, having one end connected to the lowergpart of the trip-lever 43 and the other end connected to a pin 67 in the rear side of thereversin lever, some distance to the left, to

yielda ly holdthe trip-lever out of position for moving the reversing lever. It will be understood that this is not of sufiicient re uce the freedom of operation of the trip-lever; but at the same time materially asslsts in the-resetting operation. l

The lower end parts of! the screws 37 that are to project through the slots 40 intothe openings 36 in the bearing plates are preferably made smooth and iw th round ends as shown, so that they will very certainly;j enter these slots 'and'openings.

lo I have illustrated myinvention as incorporated in a certain'type of wringer, it 3 v will be understood that it is also applicable to wringers of other types and susceptible to such modifications as may'be necessary in adapting it to these or other difl'erent requirements, so long as these modifications do not depart from the'scope and spirit. of the following claims;

1. In combinationwith a pair of coiiperating rolls and yieldable means pressing said rolls to hold them together, reversible means for driving said rolls in either-direction, releasing means for relieving the pressure of said yieldable means on said rolls, and an operative connectionfrom said releasing means to said vreversible means whereby said reversible means is reversed when said pressure is relieved.

rolls and yieldable means pressing said rolls to hold them together, reversible means for driving said rolls in either direction, and releasing means for relieving the pressure .2. In combination, a pairofcooperating.

of said yieldable means on said rolls, part of releasing means for relieving: the pressure,

of said yieldable means onsaid rolls,-said releasing means being operatively connected to said reversible means whereby said reversible means is reversed when said. pre sure is relieved.

4. In combination, a pair of cooperating rolls and yieldable means pressing said rolls to hold them together, reversible means for driving said rolls in either direction, and releasing means for relieving the pressure of said yieldable means on said rolls, part of said releasing means and part of said reversible mean being mutually engageable in either one of two directions, according to the positions of said parts relative to each other, whereby said reversible means is reversed in either direction when said pres-- sure is relieved.

5. In combination with a pair of cooperating rolls, yieldable means pressing on said rolls to hold them together, a reactive element for said yieldable means, a displaceable bearing member between said yieldable means and its reactive element, reversible means for driving said rolls in either direction, and an operative connection from said displaceable bearing member to said reversible means whereby said means is reversed when said member is displaced.

6. In combination with a pair of cooperating rolls, yieldable means pressing said rolls to hold them together, a reactive element for said yieldable means, a displace-- engaging with said cam whereby said cam is tilted when said reversing lever is moved, without moving said trip-lever, and means on said other lever with which said cam engages on one side or the other, according to the positionit is tilted into, to move said ating elementadapted to prevent said disreversing lever in one direction or the other, according to the side of said means'said cam engages on, when said trip lever is moved to displace said bearing member.

7. In combination with a pair of cooperating rolls, yieldable means pressing said rolls to hold them together, a reactive element for said yieldable means, a displaceable bearing member normally between said yieldable means and its reactive element, an operating element having operative relation with said displaceable bearing member to displace said member from its normal position or move said member into its normal position, and holding means for said operplacement of said bearing member under jar and strain imposed thereon from said rolls;

8. In combination with a pair of cooperating rolls and yieldable means pressing tion, releasing means for relieving the pres sure of said yleldable *means on said rolls, a reversing lever to reverse said reversible means, a trip-lever to engage and operate rolls to hold them together, an adjusting screw for said spring, abearing plate betweenv said spring and said screw, having an opening in alinement with said screw, a bearing bar having an opening and normally lying between said bearing plate and screw with its opening out of alinement with said screw and said opening in said bearing plate, and adapted to be displaced to bring its opening in said alinement, reversible means for driving said rolls in either direction, and an operative connection from said bearing bar to said reversible means whereby said means is reversed when said bar is displaced.

10. In combination with a. pair of co6per ating rolls and yieldable means pressing said rolls to hold them together, reversible means for driving said rolls in either direction, releasing means for relieving the pressure of said yieldable means on said rolls, a reversing lever to reverse said reversible means, a trip lever to operate said releasing means, a tiltable cam having opposite bearing faces and pivoted on said trip lever, means on said reversing lever engaging with said cam whereby, said cam is tilted when said reversing lever is moved, without moving said trip lever, and means on said re- 7 versing lever with which said cam engages on one side or the other, according to the position it is tilted into, to move said reversing lever in one direction or the other according to the side of said means said cam engages on, when said trip lever is moved to operate said releasing means.

1-1; In combination with two levers, a tiltable cam having opposite bearing faces and pivoted on one of said levers, means on the other lever engaging with said cam whereby it is tilted when this other lever is moved, and means on'this other lever which engages one or the other bearing face of said cam,

according-to the position said cam is tilted into, whereby only one of said levers is adapted to have operative movement without imparting operative movement to the other one of-said levers.

12. In combination with two levers, only one of which has operative movement independently of the other, a cam having a pivot on one of said levers and having a nose and sides diverging from said nose toward opposite sides of said pivot, and having a slot opening toward the other of said levers comprising a main part beginning near sald nose and extending toward said pivot, and parts of said levers normally extending into said main part of said slot to tilt said cam when one' 0 said levers is moved one way or the other, without moving the other lever, and a lug on said other lever substantially midway of the range of-tilting'of saidnose, to one side or the other of which said nose passes and which thus engages with one or or the other according to the sideof said cam engaged: w

13. In combination with two levers, only one of which has operative movement independently of the other, a cam having a pivot on one of said levers and having a nose and sides diverging'from said nose toward/opposite sides of said pivot, and having a slot opening toward the other of said levers comprising a main part beginning near said nose and extending toward said pivot, and parts diverging from said main part toward oposite sides of said pivot, said, cam also aving sides at opposite sides of said pivot presented away from said nose, stops on said lever on which said cam has said ivot, at opposite sides of said pivot and spaced away from said pivot in the direction away from said nose to allow said cam to tilt on said pivot and move its nose one way or the other. but to limit said tilting, a pinin the passes and which thus engages with one or gage when employed to displace said mem-.

otherof said levers normally extendin into said main part of said slot to tilt sai cam when one of said levers is moved one way or the other, without moving the other lever, and a lug on said other lever substantially midway of the range of tiltin of said nose, to one side or the other of w ich said nose the other of said diverging sides, according to the direction in which said cam has been tilted, when the, other of said levers is moved, while said pin passes into one or the other diverging part of said slot, whereby said other lever is moved in one direction or the other according to the side of said cam engaged.

14. In combination with a pair of cooperating rolls, yieldable means pressing said rolls to hold them together, a reactive element for said yieldable means, a displaceable bearing member normally between said yieldable meansv and its reactive element, reversible means for driving said rolls in either direction, a trip lever to hold said bearing member in normal position or displace it, a reversing lever to reverse said reversible means, an means on said reversing lever with which said trip lever will en-- her, and thereby make displacement of said member also eliect a movement of said reversing lever. 

